Board of Directors
**All our Board members are voted and elected upon. EVERYONE is welcome as a candidate in running for the board**
Kimberly Blevins- President
Tahera Uddin- Board Vice President
Khadija Chaudry- Treasurer
Lujane Bashi - Program Director
Dr. Amin Jaffer- Advisor
All of our teachers are either certified teachers or have extensive experience in the field of child education and development. All staff members have passed background checks and are medically cleared to work with children. On any given day, there will be at least two staff members present who will be certified in First Aid & CPR Insha'Allah.
Kimberly Blevins: Board President/Pre-k Assistant Teacher. Kimberly Blevins obtained a MA degree in Rehabilitative Counseling from Florida State University in 2000. She obtained a BA in Psychology/Minor in Sociology from a private college located in Bristol, VA (Virginia Intermont College) in 1997. Kimberly has numerous years of experience working with children as a mental health counselor, mentor, and teacher. In Florida she worked as a counselor for youth with disabilities (mental, physical, and emotional). Once she moved to Michigan, she accepted a full time position at the local private Islamic school. She completed three full years of teaching in a multi-level classroom and then continued on as a tutor. For the past two years she has been involved in the planning and teaching of a homeschool co-op. Her experiences in these fields has exposed her to many different children with varying ways of thinking and learning. Kimberly is a firm believer in 'positive discipline' and in helping students learn how to solve problems together, and become productive members in their 'community'. Tahera Uddin: Board Vice President; Arabic, Qur'an, & Islamic Studies Curriculum Adviser
Tahera Uddin obtained a dual BA degree in Elementary Education and Arabic & Islamic Studies from the University of MI in 2003. She also has an ijaza in Tajweed from Syria which is a license to teach correct pronunciation of the Holy Quran. She has experience teaching elementary age children in private, public and Sunday school settings. For the past 2 years she has worked with other Muslim mothers in a homeschool co-op, and has implemented innovative techniques to make learning Arabic fun for the children who attend. Additionally she has been involved with counseling and teaching Muslim youth in several communities. Tahera believes that learning any subject can be infused with Islamic themes and values. She has experience teaching in a private school using the Tarbiyah Project philosophy which is a framework that has brought about reform to the way students learn in Islamic schools nationwide. This vision changed both "what" and "how" children learn about Islam in a way that is relevant to their lives and incorporated in every aspect of life and learning. In other words, how to "be" Muslim and not only learn "about" Islam. Lujane Bashi: Program Director; KG Teacher
Lujane Bashi graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 2006, with Magna Cum Laude, where she majored in Elementary Science Education and minored in Structure of Disciplines. She has spent many hours in classrooms during her college years as a Sunday School teacher, substitute teacher, and pre-student teacher. Since then, she has been passionately homeschooling her son and participating in a small homeschool co-op with other Muslim mothers. She has worked extensively at planning and coordinating events for the local Muslim community such as field trips, craft events, and group activities for children and mothers. Lujane believes that nothing should hold a child back from reaching their potential and that children, even as infants, are capable of much more than the average person would think. She does not let age or grade levels deter her from teaching her son whatever he wants to learn because she feels that the most important factor is children's natural love and desire to learn; if that is acknowledged and nurtured, they are capable of reaching for the stars. When learning is child-guided and filled with creativity and hands-on activities, children will be much more passionate about what they are learning and become lifelong learners. Nada Zetoune: Kindergarten Teacher
Nada Zetoune graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 2006, with honors, with a Bachelors Degree in English Literature. She has spent two years substitute teaching in the Ann Arbor Public Schools, and taught with Precious Sprouts for 1 year as a KG/1st Grade Social Studies teacher and Arabic/Qur'an assistant. She is originally from Syria and has lived in the US for 20 years. When it comes to teaching, the first thing that Nada looks for is curiosity. She believes that learning requires curiosity and continuously works to cultivate each student’s individual passions. Her strive for individuality doesn’t end in the classroom though, at home she pushes her three children to go after their dreams and to be the best that they can be. The youngest of her 3 sons is starting his second year at Precious Sprouts. This year Nada will be teaching Kindergarten and it will allow her to actively work with the students in creating an interactive, dynamic classroom where learning takes place on all fronts. Zarmina Zubairi: Preschool Teacher Zarmina Zubairi has a Bachelors of Art degree from Pakistan in Applied Psychology & Home Economics. She also has obtained a diploma in Interior Decorating from International Correspondence School Pennsylvania in 1996. She has worked as a teacher in a Montessori-based program for a year and a half in Pakistan, and is working towards pursuing a career as a preschool teacher. Because of this, she has obtained an Assosiate of Child Development at Washtenaw Community College. She believes that every child has the ability to perform best in his/her life and that teachers and parents need to apply their best efforts in order to encourage children to truly reach their potential. Sarah Kalem: Arabic & Quran Teacher Sarah Kalem completed three yearsof college at the University of Algiers majoring in Economics. She is now attending Washtenaw Community College to pursue a degree in Radiography. She is also working on her Ijaza to get a Tajweed license through a MAS (Muslim America Society) program, and has more than 5 years of experience teaching Quran and Arabic to adults and children. She has taught in several institutions in Algeria and the US. Before she moved toMichigan, she has worked as a teacher’s assistant for preschool and kindergarten at Al-Huda Academy in Durham, North Carolina. This is her 2nd year teaching Qur’an at Precious Sprouts, and this year she will be teaching both Arabic and Qur’an. She believes that it is very important to master Arabic inorder to learn and understand Quran. She is passionate about teaching Quran and uses all her skills and experience to make sure children with different levels and backgrounds will benefit from Arabic and Quran class. It makes her very happy when she sees a child succeed in memorizing and reading the Quran. |